Photos of these celeb mums got everyone buzzing before their little ones were even born

After announcing the birth of her baby boy Rafael last week, Hong Kong actress Grace Chan (left) took to Instagram to share photos from her beachside maternity shoot. While the shoot appears pretty simple, we can’t help but marvel at how gorgeous the new mama looked basking in her pregnancy glow in the beauty of nature. But of course, not all celebrity mums like to take the no-frills approach. From posing underwater to baring it all in magazine pictorials to soaking in a milk bath, here are our favourite maternity shoots.

Grace Chan25 Feb 2019

Grace Chan

Leave it to Grace Chan to make pregnancy look effortless. Last week, the actress shared these dreamy photos on Instagram, looking absolutely radiant and stunning as she posed with her blossoming baby bump in a photo shoot by the beach. And since this is no exotic white sandy beach, you can easily cop the look, right down to that gorgeous white pleated maxi dress from Singapore label Love, Bonito.

Photo: Instagram/@ghlchan

Tay Kewei25 Feb 2019

Tay Kewei

This has got to be the most relaxing photo shoot of the lot. Soaking in a flower milk bath in a see-through lace gown and bikini, hot mama Tay Kewei perfectly captured the ethereal romantic feel of the shoot. Someone even commented that it’s probably that kind of outfit that got her pregnant in the first place. Naughty!

Photo: Instagram/@keweitay

Beyonce04 Feb 2017

Beyonce

After breaking the Internet with her pregnancy announcement in 2017 (she had not one, but two buns in the oven!), Beyonce got the world in an even bigger frenzy when she shared stunning photos from her pregnancy photo shoot on her website. And this was no typical maternity shoot. From sitting on top of a car to swimming and posing underwater, Queen Bey proved there is nothing she and her baby bump can’t do.

Photos: Beyonce.com

Hannah Quinlivan14 Jan 2016

Hannah Quinlivan

Woah sexy mama! The very private Mr and Mrs Jay Chou shared these photos of Hannah’s baby bump after their daughter Hathaway was born in 2015. Instead of the usual sweet saccharine shots, the couple rocked it in matching black and gold outfits for their hip hop-themed shoot - perhaps to match all the black baby products they bought?

Photos: Weibo

Janet Hsieh25 Feb 2019

Janet Hsieh

Looks like nothing can slow Janet Hsieh down. Despite being 36 weeks pregnant and at times struggling during the shoot which she broadcasted live on Facebook, the Taiwan-based host made it look like a walk in the park (or water?), looking like an underwater nymph as she posed angelically with her gal pal in the pool.

Photo: Instagram/@janetagram

Queen of Bhutan Jetsun Pema14 Jan 2016

Queen of Bhutan Jetsun Pema

There is something very enchanting about this picture of the King and Queen of Bhutan. Taken for an online calendar released by the Bhutanese government in 2016, King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and wife Jetsun Pema looked serene as they lounged on the grounds of Bhutan’s Paro Ugyen Pelri Palace dressed in traditional bright robes. How we wish we could take maternity shots at such exotic locales too.

Fann Wong24 Apr 2015

Fann Wong

Before she popped in August 2015, the ah jie posed for a series of stunning ads for Marie France Bodyline, the most iconic of which is probably the one of her wrapped in cloth in the slimming centre’s signature blue hue (the same fabric would later be featured again in Fann’s post-baby bod shoot). And what else can we say? She looked great in all of them.

Myolie Wu25 Feb 2019

Myolie Wu

Hong Kong actress Myolie Wu covered the spectrum from sweet to glamourous during her monochrome-themed maternity shoot with hubby Philip Lee in 2017. Despite being dressed to the nines in an elegant one-shoulder gown and sleek tux, we love how the couple injected a little cheekiness into their shoot, posing back-to-back a la Mr & Mrs Smith. Now that Myolie’s pregnant with baby no. 2, we can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves.

Photo: Instagram/@myoliemyolie

Chrissy Teigen25 Feb 2019

Chrissy Teigen

Not only is Chrissy Teigen hot, the supermodel is also one of the funniest girls on social media. So why are we not surprised that the foodie chose to give the world a peek at her baby bump in typical Chrissy Teigen fashion, looking all smouldering in a white cutout swimsuit on the kitchen counter beside a hunk of pork. Captioning these pictures "spot the difference", she even tagged the pork, you know, just in case you were wondering what meat it was. Sassy and silly - we wouldn’t expect anything less from Mrs John Legend.

Photo: Instagram/@chrissyteigen

Joanne Peh24 Apr 2015

Joanne Peh

Three months after news broke that Joanne Peh is baking a bun in the oven, the actress gave a first official glimpse of her growing little one (hello, Baby Qi!) in a lovely cover shoot for ELLE Singapore in 2015. Dressed in a crochet dress that embraces every single curve (especially the most important one – her belly), she radiates both that unmistakable mummy-to-be glow and a proud poise.

Lim Peifen14 Jan 2016

Lim Peifen

Initially reluctant to do a maternity shoot, YES 933 DJ Lim Peifen eventually went ahead with it because she wanted to “keep a record of the days of just the two of us”. And we’re glad she did. Peifen is glowing in her Grecian-inspired gown and floral headband and major props to her for taking the shoot outdoors, considering how hot and humid - not to mention unpredictable - the weather can be in Singapore.

Photos: Limpeifen.com

Sharon Chan04 Feb 2017

Sharon Chan

It’s hard to believe Sharon Chan was eight months pregnant when she took these photos in December 2016. The Hong Kong actress, who only gained around 20 pounds (around 9kg) during pregnancy, not only shared the gorgeous photos on her Instagram but also anecdotes from the shoot: “You see the scarf floating beautifully? It was all thanks to my mum and husband who were behind propping it up that we managed to get the floating effect.” Kind of reminds you of Fann’s Marie Claire shoot huh?

Photos: Instagram/@sharonchanmanchi

Kelly Chen14 Jan 2016

Kelly Chen

Don’t you just love it when parents include their kids in maternity shoots? When Taiwanese singer-actor Jimmy Lin and his model wife Kelly Chen were expecting twin boys in 2015, they roped in their son Kimi for the family portrait, where there was plenty of love and kisses going around. Awww…

Photos: Weibo

Han Hye Jin14 Jan 2016

Han Hye Jin

Also taking her shoot outdoors is Korean actress Han Hye Jin who showed off her baby bump in a pictorial for Marie Claire Korea. Shot in the country side outside Welsh city of Swansea, where her footballer husband Ki Sung Heung is based, Hye Jin looked effortlessly chic in a variety of flowy and fitted dresses despite being seven months pregnant. Some women just have it all!

Photos: Marie Claire Korea

Yvonne Lim04 Feb 2017

Yvonne Lim

Yvonne Lim and her baby bump graced not one, but two magazine covers when the actress, who is based in Taiwan with her family, returned to the Little Red Dot for a short visit in 2016. Yvonne, who was then four months pregnant with her second child, Alexa, kept things simple in a white tee and jeans, and let the tummy do all the talking.

Photo: 8 Days

Ciara25 Feb 2019

Ciara

In 2017, Ciara caused quite a stir when she showcased her seven-month pregnant belly in a pictorial for Harper’s Bazaar. In the family shoot, Ciara, dressed in tighty-whities, stands carrying her son Future, while hubby Russell Wilson caresses her baby bump with his face nuzzled into her lower back. Unconventional, but beautiful nonetheless.

Carole Lin14 Jan 2016

Carole Lin

This may not be an official photo shoot but how cute are these pictures of a heavily pregnant Carole Lin? Snapped by her businessman husband David Lim just before heading to the hospital for her delivery, the first-time mother even took the time to thank her family and friends for playing a part in her “happy pregnancy”. And it shows!

Photo: Instagram/@carolelinxiaopei

Byul24 Apr 2015

Byul

Okay, so it’s not a formal magazine photo shoot, but we are loving the fun and warmth emanating from these two snaps shared by proud papa Haha on a Korean television programme, which the Running Man star shared were taken “very naturally on the bed, on the sofa, wearing whatever”.

While the super sweet one of him lovingly touching his wife’s stomach is aww-worthy to the max, we’re especially fond of the one with him making one of his signature funny faces at his baby – it’s cute, casual and reflects his status as a cast member of one of the most amusing shows on earth.

Demi Moore24 Apr 2015

Demi Moore

It’s the nude prenatal print that started it all. Seven months pregnant with her second daughter, an exposed and expectant Demi was photographed by renowned star shooter Annie Leibovitz for the August 1991 cover of Vanity Fair magazine – a controversial and unheard of move at that time.

These days, however, it’s considered the crème de la crème of bare child-carrying shoots, and it’s easy to see why: not only is it a bold trailblazer, it’s also done in a way that’s beautiful and tasteful.

Brooke Shields24 Apr 2015

Brooke Shields

The gorgeous former child star starred in her preggers Vogue cover looking like she’d just waded gracefully out of a private pool. Perhaps it was an unintentional throwback to one of her best-known films, The Blue Lagoon (about two teenagers marooned on a deserted island).

In any case, this just convinced us that the supermodel looks just as good dripping from head to toe as she is when she’s dry – let’s be honest, the rest of us would end up resembling drowned mice.

Shakira24 Apr 2015

Shakira

Ooh la la, do Shakira and her football hunk of a beau Gerard Pique make a good-looking couple or what? And these striking pics of the Colombian beauty and Barcelona defender were taken for a good cause: they’re part of the couple’s “virtual baby shower” for UNICEF’s Inspired Gifts program, where, instead of purchasing presents for the little one, fans can buy practical items for less fortunate kids.

“We hope that, in his name, other less privileged children in the world can have their basic needs covered through gifts and donations,” they stated. Now isn’t that great?

Ryu Seung-ju24 Apr 2015

Ryu Seung-ju

With smouldering husband Ricky Kim at the back and musical actress Seung-ju’s piercing gaze, this looks like it could be the promotional image for an upcoming drama or gritty family film. We mean, which kid wouldn’t want to look through their parents’ pregnancy shoot and come across this kind of coolness? We know we certainly would.

Jung Hye-young24 Apr 2015

Jung Hye-young

Arguably the most daring snapshots on this list belong to the actress and wife of JinuSean crooner Sean, who is seen donning precariously high stilettos (let’s hope she didn’t actually walk around in them) during her funky photo session.

Safety concerns aside, we’ve gotta give Hye-young major props for such a daring and different concept – in addition to having a unique overall look and feel that’s decidedly edgier than most celebrity maternity shoots, she also defied a Korean cultural norm by uncovering her belly. The result: a cool “mama is ready to party” vibe that we can all appreciate.